Interesting Lives

Published 6:00 pm, Tuesday, March 27, 2001

Freshmen in Janet Abshire's English classes researched the life of someone who made a positive contribution to society and then made a presentation, in costume, on that person at the breakfast.

Abshire described the project as a Cooper tradition, adding that she learned some things about the students and their characters.

"The kids did a great job of going out and finding people I would not have even thought of," said Abshire. "One (student researched) a famous photographer who influenced Steinbeck to write 'Grapes of Wrath.'"

That photographer was Dorothea Lange and it was her photograph, titled "Migrant Mother," that documented a moment in the Great Depression of the 1930s and influenced Steinbeck.

"Her photography was so important," said Abshire.

Abshire's students drew from a variety of backgrounds in selecting people for their presentations. Some chose historical figures such as Mary Queen of Scots and Robert the Bruce, while others chose people from the modern age such as Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse.

Students' reasons for their selections were as varied as their characters.

For example, Sam White portrayed Robert the Bruce because he knew Robert was an ancestor of his and knew a little bit about the Bruce.

"I didn't know how important what he did was," said Sam of his ancestor. "I knew he had done something he was remembered for, but I didn't know it was such a great thing."

Robert the Bruce won Scotland's freedom from England and was crowned Robert I, king of Scotland, in 1306.

Sam learned something unusual about Robert during his research.

"Robert Bruce's ancestry was non-Scottish," Sam said. "His ancestors had land in England and had been bestowed land in Scotland."

Sam described Robert as a "fish out of water" because he fought the nation that had given land to his family and because he wasn't even Scottish.

Samantha Hardin chose Bob Fosse for her presentation because of her interest in musical theater.

She describes Fosse's dance style as "unique and really sharp."

"Some of the shows he directed, (such as) 'Sweet Charity' and 'All That Jazz,' are set with that seductive, sultry style of dance," said Samantha.

For Susan Taylor, history outside the United States drew her to Mary, Queen of Scots.

"(While) most of the people in our class were doing heroes," Susan said, "she was known as a traitor to her country. She was famous for the bad name she earned."

Because of her research, Susan developed a different point of view of the queen who came to be known as Bloody Mary.

"It wasn't that she was such a bad person," said Susan, "it was (more like) she had bad luck."

Susan doesn't consider Mary a hero, and added that Mary tried to "make Scotland bigger and become the queen of England also."

Kate Maher looked for what she called a "strong, women's rights leader" for her portrayal and found Sojourner Truth.

Kate found Truth interesting because she accomplished so much without having any power.

"She wasn't afraid of what people thought about her," said Kate of the former slave who became an outspoken advocate for the abolition of slavery. "She knew what was right. She knew what was moral and spoke from her heart."

That's how Truth gained respect and power, Kate said.

To illustrate that point, Kate said when Sojourner Truth met President Abraham Lincoln, she did not know he was the president. Lincoln knew who she was even if she didn't know who he was.

"He heard about her preaching and speeches," Kate said. "Obviously, it showed that she had a great impact (on the president)."

Because Truth wasn't afraid to let people know where she stood on the issues, Kate considers her a role model.

"She had a great amount of courage," said Kate.

The in-depth studies these students undertook benefitted them beyond the facts they learned.

Students got excited about what they were doing, Abshire said. And all her students came prepared to give their presentations.

What could have been a challenge ended up being a pleasurable experience.

"I really admire the way they found something that interested them and then looked for a person in that field," said Abshire.

"Talking about somebody who made a difference and dressing like her was really cool," said Kate. "I think it would be really cool in a hundred years if somebody wrote a biography about me and dressed up as me and (talked) about the difference I (made)."

Additionally, students said they enjoyed getting an insider's view of about 60 personalities who made a difference in the world.

Sam described the presentations as something different from the normal procedure of writing papers.

"Everybody wants to do somebody famous," said Kate. "But if you look through the library a little harder, you'll find somebody nobody knows about, but who had such a great impact. Then 60 kids get to learn about that person."